Aren’t pilots the one who fly the aeroplane? But have you ever heard of a pilot in a car?
Well, let me introduce an 8-year-old co-pilot of a car – Dhamathi! Yes, my friends, my favorite activity, while I’m in the car, is to be a co-pilot. Wondering, what I do?
Firstly, as the co-pilot, even before we start the trip, I collect trip details from my dad in terms of route, in-between places, distance, time, stop-overs etc. Then when everyone is seated and when my dad starts the car, I act like the air-hostess of a plane and make the announcements. My grandfather loves me for doing this.
Secondly, I set the mood right for the drive. I get full control over the audio system and place the right music. When I’m traveling with elderly relatives, I play traditional songs; with my mom, I play both English (mostly from Best of KidsBop) and Regional songs (mostly songs sung by famous artists like SP Balasubramanian, S Janaki, K J Yesudas, Sudha Raghunathan) and if only Dad and I are traveling its mostly all dance music.
Thirdly, and more importantly, I carefully watch the Google Maps – checking whether we are on the best route, sharing info about taking the flyovers, underpasses, service roads, exits, etc. My dad relies on me to find the nearest petrol bunk, restaurant, ATM, etc so that he can remain focus on driving. I find it challenging to be a co-pilot while crossing the Ghats as the GPS connection easily gets lost.
I make the drive interesting now and then by pretending to be the air hostess and making announcements about traffic jams, rough roads, stop-over announcements which I get to know by looking into the Google Maps. I now have learnt to look into the climate and temperature from Google and make funny announcements like, “turbulence in the form of road humps ahead please hold tight”, “slow-moving traffic ahead, probably time to drink water safely”, etc
I am really glad to be alive and kicking throughout the journey as the co-pilot. If you also enjoy journeys share it with me.
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